[Minidisc.org Editor wanted]

I would also be interested, still have lots of acces to MD news from other countries where the format is still popular. You can e-mail to me at webmaster (at) pablitonet (dot) com Thank you! Pablo

[Raintheory's TOC Cloning Guide and FAQ's - MZ-R700 Modification Guide]

The basics behind TOC Cloning are fairly simple.. Legacy MiniDisc audio data is stored in such a way that when a track or disc is erased, the audio data. remains on the disc until it is rewritten. Only the TOC has been altered and no longer references the files.

TOC Cloning Procedure (Using a modified R700/G750 or other portable recorder):

- Create a "source disc", which is a disc with 1 long track (entire length of disc) recorded in whatever format your lost recording is in. This will be your "Source TOC". DO NOT use your disc that you want to rescue to do this!

- Insert your "source disc" into your TOC-Cloning recorder, and after the "source TOC" is read into memory, you eject the "source disc" without the unit knowing (tricky part).

- Insert your "victim disc" (again, without unit knowing the disc has been swapped).

- Make a small edit.. such as naming the track or adding a track mark, and then have the unit write the "source TOC" to the "victim disc" by pressing STOP.

The resulting recovered disc will need to be trackmarked again, and works best if there hasn't been extensive deleting/moving tracks around on the disc.

If you are using a deck for TOC-Cloning, the exact method for allowing the deck to write the TOC may vary (see vore's posts below).

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Modifying the MZ-R700/MZ-G750 to enable cloning:

(Please note that although this has worked fine for me, I cannot guarantee this method. There is an inherent risk of breaking your unit any time you try a modification such as the one described here.)

The R700/G750 contains two switches that need to be bypassed in order to eject/replace a disc whilst keeping the unit powered on and unaware that the eject/replace has taken place.

The first of the two switches (as shown in the photos below) is located near the unit's eject machanism. When the eject mechanism is used, the switch is moved to the side and power is cut-off from the unit. Press the eject button in a few times with the unit open to see where the switch is/how it moves.

This "eject mechanism" switch can be bypassed without taking the unit apart. Unfortunately I have not found a way to gracefully bypass this switch, so I have physically removed (broken) the switch with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Please note this is the only non-reversible modification that will be done to the unit.

The second switch is located inside the bottom half of the unit, between the headphone/remote jack and the Mic-In. To access this switch you will need a small phillips-head screwdriver. An eyeglass repair kit works perfectly.

Remove the battery and the 4 screws (don't lose them!) from the bottom half of the unit (battery side). The hardest part of the procedure is removing the casing from the bottom half of the unit. See page 7 of the service manual for help, available in the downloads section (hint: you need to press the eject button in the whole way and remove that side first).

With the bottom half of the casing removed, locate the small black switch between the headphone and mic jacks. There is a metal "foot" that holds this switch down when the unit is closed. In the following photo I have bypassed this switch using simply a small piece of cardstock paper wedged in on top of it, holding it down.

Both switches are now bypassed, and your R700/G750 is now capable of TOC Cloning following the instructions above!

For other portables, the second switch should be in the same place, you may need to find out how to bypass the eject switch though, as it is most likely different. Browse the Service Manuals in the downloads section for help.

If you are hesitant and/or unable to perform TOC Cloning yourself, feel free to drop me a PM.

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More TOC Cloning info cane be found here:

Sony Decks: http://www.minidisc.org/cloning_procedure.html

Sharp MD-MS701: http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~y0001729/...lone/index.html

This has saved me I hope, my Sony deck JE510 has started not recording or editing correctly, I had put a very important MD in to edit titles and then ejected and the disc then showed as being blank or in the portable showed a disc error. I really hope this works and will it work for the MZ-R70? Also, what could be the problem with my deck as to why it no longer works for recording or editing? Thanks so much for any ideas! Pablo